Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park

Alfred Caldwell was a landscape architect and architect. The Lily Pool (also known as Lincoln Park Lily Pool and formerly as formerly The Rookery) is a fine example of Prairie School landscape architecture, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Jens Jensen, for whom Caldwell worked. The design was inspired by the natural landscape of the Midwest, with prairies, rock outcrops and native plants. It is a wonderfully wild, intimate place right in the midst of Chicago. When the Chicago Park District reduced the budget for the project, Caldwell sold his life insurance policy to buy plants. It was well done!